Habitation
by TorakofAllClans ToAC
Summary: Max and Janet have passed initiation, but that was the first challenge. They now have to survive in Dauntless without being discovered for who they truly are. Rated T to be safe. Part 2 in the 'Initiation Chronicles'
1. Chapter 1

**Habitation**

 **Summary: Max and Janet have passed initiation, but that was the first challenge. They now have to survive in Dauntless without being discovered for who they truly are. Rated T to be safe. Part 2 in the 'Initiation Chronicles'**

 **A/N: HELLO! To those of you who have read Initiation, welcome back. To those who haven't, you might want to for any of this story to make sense. Go to my profile and read it, as I won't waste words summarising it. Anyway, on with the story  
Keep on Reading  
-ToAC**

 **Chapter 1**

It was 11 months after Janet, Max, Tanya, Percy, Jo and Reggie passed initiation and became full Dauntless. Currently, 4 of them were in the hub, at the choosing ceremony. ,meanwhile, the other 2 were standing by the net in the Dauntless compound. They were watching the ceremony on the TV, to see what kind of initiates they would be training. From what they saw, their initiates were;  
5 Candor-borns  
3 Erudite-borns  
2 Amity-borns

The ceremony finished and the 3 instructors, Janet, Max and Lara, the Dauntless-born instructor, walked to the net. It was 15 minutes until the train arrived. Meanwhile, the group did a last test of the net  
"So, transfer or Dauntless-born? What are your thoughts?" Asked Lara. This was responded with by two confused looks.  
"The first jumper, do you think it will be a transfer or a Dauntless-born?" clarified Lara  
"My bets are on a transfer." said Max  
"Mine are on a Dauntless-born" said Lara "Max?"  
"Mine are on someone who will become a good Dauntless member" said Max. They listened as there was a clatter of people landing on the building above, as well as the train horn sounding. They heard Lewis give the same speech as he had when they were initiates. After he finished, there was the sound of shuffling then a shout as a blur of black and white fell into the net. It was a small built boy, with blue eyes and brown hair which flopped over the centre of his face  
"You're up" whispered Lara to Max, who moved forwards and helped the boy out of the net  
"What's your name?" Asked Max "You can pick a new one, but you can only choose once"  
"My name's Ollie" said the boy, pointlessly blowing his hair out his eyes only for it to fall back into his face.  
"First jumper, Ollie" exclaimed Max. By now, a crowd of Dauntless had formed and they cheered the new initiate. After a Dauntless took Ollie away from the net, the next initiate jumped. As usual, transfers and Dauntless-borns took alternating turns. As each initiate fell, Max made a mental note of the initiates he and Janet would be training;  
Ollie-Candor Transfer, M, brown, floppy hair. Talkative with the other initiates, including Dauntless-borns  
May-Amity transfer, F, blonde hair cut short. Stereotypical Amity, chatty and friendly  
Clarisse-Erudite transfer, F, Black shoulder length hair with blue eyes. Quiet, Doesn't talk to many others  
Gabriel-Candor transfer, M, cocky rude, stared down Janet's top when she helped him out of the net ( _Try NOT to punch him_ thought Max)  
Ryan-Candor transfer, M, short, blond hair. Friendly with Ollie, but shy when talking to Max and Janet  
Thea-Erudite transfer, F, quite tall, with long brown hair in a ponytail Friendly with Clarisse and disgusted by Gabriel's behaviour towards her (Calling her sexist names)  
Finn-Amity transfer, M, long black hair. Appears to be good friends with May. Quite confident talking with the other initiates, Max and Janet  
Lyla-Candor transfer, F, red hair down to the middle of her back. Doesn't get on that well with the other initiates, but is courteous towards the instructors  
Martyn- Candor transfer, M, frizzy brown hair, quite happy but a bit quiet  
Laina-Erudite transfer, F, shoulder length blonde hair. Talks a lot to the instructors, but not much to the other instructors

After all the initiates were in the area next to the net, the 3 instructors began  
"Dauntless-born with Lara, Transfers with us. Go!" said Janet  
The Dauntless-born walked off with Lara, and the 10 transfers stayed behind  
"I'm Max and this is Janet" said Max "Normally, I work as a medic, and Janet works in intelligence. However, during your initiation, we'll be your instructors."  
"Now, follow us" said Janet. The pair led the initiates to the pit  
"This is the pit" said Janet  
"It's the centre of Dauntless life. Make sure not to fall into the chasm. There's someone who falls in most years. One person survived, apparently" said Max. This made the initiates exchange shocked/nervous looks. The two instructors then led the initiates to the dorms.  
"These are your dorms for the entirety of your initiation" said Janet  
"Boys or girls?" said Finn  
"Both" Answered Max  
This resulted in a few shocked shouts, as well as a laugh from Gabriel  
"You find that funny?" asked Janet to Gabriel. This shut him up. They then walked through to the bathroom, which resulted in a few grossed out expressions.  
"Get changed then come to the canteen" said Janet

After they left the pair went to the canteen. They sat with their friends. About 15 minutes later, the initiates entered the canteen. 10 minutes later, Ace walked over to them, wanting to talk to Max  
"I've just got the files for the Erudite initiates" said Ace "And you might want to do a check up on Thea. Her file says she suffers from severe asthma, so I would check she has medication" Max nodded, then re-joined his friends. It was half an hour later when the initiates finished their meal. The initiates went out to the pit. Max approached Thea  
"Thea, may I talk to you for a moment?" said Max. Thea nodded and the pair walked to near a wall.  
"We just got your file from Erudite" said Max "And it says you suffer from asthma. Is this true?" Thea nodded  
"Do you have medication?" Asked Max  
"Yeah" said Thea  
"Alright, that's good. Make sure to check in at the infirmary when you run out. I'm sure I'll be able to get you a supply" said Max  
"Alright" said Thea "Is that all?"  
"Yeah, off you go" said Max

Thea walked back to the other initiates. Max headed to his apartment. He found Janet sitting on the sofa. He had given her a key 10 months ago, and she was looking through a pile of folders  
"Hey" greeted Max  
"Hey" replied Janet "Initiate files" she said this holding up one of the folders  
"Already talked to Thea about her asthma" said Max "Any other things?"  
"Gabriel has got in trouble with Candor leadership on multiple occasions. Multiple counts of petty theft, public violence" said Janet "Other than that, there's nothing major" Max nodded  
"Now, enough work" said Max "I do believe that it is movie night"  
Janet smiled. The pair had an agreement that every second Thursday was movie night. After putting the folders onto the coffee table, she sat normally on the sofa.  
"Your choice" she said

Max chose a film from the early 21st century called 'Kingsman. It was a movie the pair had seen a couple times before a few times, and they enjoyed it again. Afterwards, the pair had a small dinner then decided to call it a night, as they had a busy day the following day.

 **A/N: And that's the first chapter done! Hope you enjoyed it. Please remember to review. I'll see you in the next chapter. I'll try to publish the next chapter as soon as possible.  
Keep on Reading**

 **-ToAC**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **A/N: Hello and welcome to the second chapter of Habitation. Please remember too review and I hope you enjoy this. And, as always,  
Keep on Reading  
-ToAC**

The following morning, the two instructors were up early. They had to set up the training room for the new initiates, as well as wake them up. They were going to do basic fight training that day. After setting up the mats, the pair walked to the dorms. Using a metal pot located just outside the door, Janet hit the railing, waking up the initiates.  
"Pit, 15 minutes" said Janet. the two instructors walk out and go to the training room. Most of the initiates arrive on time, with Gabriel arriving a bit later  
"Gabriel, Lateness is something that isn't accepted in Dauntless." said Max "Be on time, or get out of this faction"  
Gabriel nodded silently. The two instructors then explained the stages of initiation, almost replicating Ace's explanation to them the previous year. After this, they lead the initiates to the training room. The pair started with a demonstration fight, showing off a few of the basic moves, and what to look for in an opponent. After this, the initiates spread throughout the room, some using the punch bags, some jogging the perimeter of the room. Max and Janet monitored the room. All went smoothly for the majority of the time, but then something caught the instructors' eyes. Gabriel was pushing the 2 Amitys around. The 2 instructors exchanged a look before heading over. As they got closer, they heard what the Candors were saying  
"I don't see why you transferred. You're obviously not Dauntless material" said Gabriel  
"Oh, and you are?" scoffed Janet  
"Well, I guess I am" replied Gabriel "I mean I'm stronger than some of the instructors, obviously" this was said looking at Janet  
"Oh, you wanna bet?" asked Janet "On the mat"  
"What?" responded Gabriel  
"On the mat. Do as you're told, initiate" said Max, supporting Janet. He understood what she was going to do.  
Janet stepped onto the mat, and Gabriel did the same.  
"What do we do?" asked Gabriel  
"You fight until one of you gives up, or can't fight any more" said Max  
Gabriel attacked first, but Janet grabbed his arm and flipped him onto his back. Gabriel got back up, but Janet was able to knock him back down. She put one knee on his back, preventing him from getting up  
"Do you give up?" asked Janet  
"Yes" came the muffled reply  
Janet took her knee off his back and Gabriel pulled himself up. He walked off to one of punch bag.

It was about 5 minutes later when May and Finn. The 2 Amitys walked up to the two instructors  
"Thank you" said the pair.  
"No need to apologise" said Janet "He was being disrespectful. Some of the best Dauntless we know are originally from Amity" This made the pair smile and they walked off. The clock rang at 5 o'clock, and the initiates were dismissed. The pair of instructors walked out of the training room and met their friends in the pit.  
"So, how's training going?" asked Tanya. The pair retold the story of the day, describing the Janet/Gabriel fight in extra detail.  
"He's basically what Alan was like, isn't he?" said Percy  
"Yeah, except he doesn't have an Arthur making him do it" said Max "It's all his own actions"  
"Anyway," said Reggie "Change of subject. I heard they might be holding a faction war games soon"  
"Yeah, it's during initiation" said Max  
"That's just for initiates and a few adults. Ace and a few of the older ones are organising a game for the whole faction "said Jo "It's been authenticated with the leaders"

The group chatted for a bit then there was an announcement from Tanya and Percy.  
"We thought you guys should be the first to know" said Tanya  
"Know what?" asked Jo  
"We've decided to get married" said Percy. This made Janet and Jo squeal. Tanya showed them the ring. It was shiny metal with black gemstones. The other two boys patted Percy on the back. The group chatted for a while. Janet said she would talk to one of the leaders to see if Percy and Tanya could contact their families back in Candor about their engagement, as the leaders' offices were near the intelligence office, and Max and Janet were meant to regularly attend work for an hour each week. Janet's was set for tomorrow, while Max's was at the weekend, as well as during any emergencies.

It was half an hour later, when the group called it a night. Max and Janet said goodbye to each other outside Janet's door, the closer of the 2 apartments. When Max got into his apartment, he looked in his chest of drawers. He found what he was looking for, a small, blue box. Inside was a ring with white gemstones as well as blue and a few black stones. The box was from Max's family back in Erudite, but Max had the ring specially made, to represent how far back the pair went. He had had the ring for a couple weeks, but was waiting for the right moment to propose. Hopefully, someday soon Janet Saleson would become Janet Rae, or Saleson-Rae, it didn't matter too much to him

 **A/N: And done! Hope you enjoyed that. There's going to be a time jump of a week next chapter. Anyway, see you in the next chapter. And, as always,  
Keep on Reading  
-ToAC**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **A/N:Welcome back to Habitation. Hope you enjoy this chapter and please remember to review/ And, as always,**

 **Keep on Reading**

 **-ToAC**

The initiates had been training for a week. Today was the first day of the fights, and the timetable was on the chalkboards. The time table read;

Ollie VS May

Clarisse VS Gabriel

Ryan VS Thea

Finn VS Lyla

Martyn VS Laina

"Alright, first fight!" said Max. Ollie and May stepped up to the mat. They circled first, then May lunged forwards. She tried to knock over Ollie, but failed. Ollie was able to swipe her feet out from under her. May landed flat on her back and wheezed, winded.

"I concede" wheezed May. Ollie helped her up and over to the bench. While Max ran over to check that May was alright, Janet started the next fight. Clarisse and Gabriel stepped up to the mat. After circling for a bit, Gabriel went to punch Clarisse in the face. Clarisse was able to block the blow, and followed with a cake to the stomach. This caused Gabriel to stumble backwards, though he regained his balance. He ran at Clarisse, and was able to knock her on her back. She hit her head on the mat, and stopped moving. Gabriel went to kick her, but the instructors shouted at him to stop. He walked off the mat. Meanwhile, with Max's assistance, Ollie and May took Clarisse to the infirmary. Max called up the next 2 fighters. The day continued similar to how it had began, with Thea, Lyla and Laina winning their fights, and 1 other person having to be taken to the infirmary (Martyn). After all the fights had finished, the initiates were dismissed and the instructors headed to the pit.

When the pair got to the pit, they found Reggie, just finishing his day.

"Hey, Reggie" Greeted Janet

"Hi guys" said Reggie "You still up for C or D later?"

"Of course" said both instructors

"Great. Now, for drinks-" started Reggie. He was interrupted by a large noise coming from nearer the centre of the pit

"Hold that thought, Reggie" said Max. The three ran towards the noise and found a small crows, surrounding someone who had obviously collapsed.

"Let me through! I'm a medic!" Shouted Max, pushing through the crowd. He was able to get to the centre and saw that the person was Clarisse

"What happened?!" Asked Max to Thea who was standing nearby

"I don't know. She was alright one second, then she collapsed" said Thea

"Right, someone go to the infirmary,tell them to bring a stretcher" instructed Max

Someone ran off and soon returned with another medic and a stretcher

"What is it, Max?" Asked the other medic

"She's unconscious, possibly due to a concussion" explained Max

The other medic nodded and helped Max put Clarisse on the stretcher. They quickly ran to the infirmary and started treatment to ensure that Clarisse would recover with a clean bill of health. After this had been sorted, Max headed back to the pit. He found Janet sitting at the edge of the chasm, legs dangling over the edge. Max sat beside her

"Hey" He said quietly

"Hey," she replied quietly "How's Clarisse?"

"She'll be fine" said Max "She just needs a night's rest in the infirmary  
"Alright" replied Janet. The two sat in silence for a while, then Janet realised the time  
"We should be getting to Reggie's" said Janet  
Max checked his watch and agreed. The pair walked to Reggie's apartment, and knocked on the door. Reggie opened the door and the pair entered, greeting him. Reggie handed both of them a drink, then headed to another room. Max and Janet saw that Percy, Tanya, Jo, and some Dauntless-born from their initiation group had already arrived. Percy and Tanya walked up to the Erudite-born pair.  
"Hi" greeted Percy  
"Hey" replied Max and Janet simultaneously.  
"So, how's being engaged?" asked Janet  
"Not too much different from being engaged" answered Tanya  
"With the exception of the wedding planning" added Percy  
"So, set a date yet?" asked Max  
"Yeah, the 7th August. Our anniversary" Replied Tanya  
"Aw, that's cute" commented Janet  
At this point, Reggie started the game. Everyone sat in a circle on chairs or on the sofas  
"As it's my apartment, I'll go first" said Reggie "Jo, Candor or Dauntless?"  
"Dauntless, Reggie." Answered Jo  
"OK, I dare you to flirt with a random stranger in the pit" said Reggie  
"Alright" replied Jo. She left to the pit, followed by a group, which included Max and Janet. They laughed at the wide-eyed reaction of the Dauntless member who Jo decided to flirt with. Jo ran back to the group, and they returned to Reggie's apartment, laughing. They got back and told the people who stayed behind what happened, then continued the game  
"Percy, Candor or Dauntless?" Asked Jo  
"Dauntless, please, Jo." responded Percy  
"Alright," said Jo "I dare you to run through the pit shouting 'I'm a bunny rabbit'"  
"OK" said Percy. He ran off and a few followed him. This time, Janet and Max stayed, alongside Reggie, and some of the Dauntless-borns. They were able to hear the group coming back, as they were laughing extremely loudly. When they got back, Tanya told the story of how an older Dauntless member had just pushed Percy sideways, resulting in Percy falling into a small puddle. The group then continued the game

"Tanya," said Percy "Candor or Dauntless?"  
"I'm going to go for Candor, change it up a bit" said Tanya  
"Alright then," said Percy "If you weren't dating me, which boy in this room would you date?"  
"Ooh, hard question" replied Tanya "I have to say Max, as he's the one I know best out of all the other boys. Speaking of which, Max, Candor or Dauntless?"  
"Dauntless, Tanya." Answered Max  
"Well, as you're quite a good shot, I dare you to shoot an apple off of… Janet's head" said Tanya  
Max had only had one drink, so he decided to accept the challenge. The group walked to one of the training rooms. While one of the dauntless-borns ran to the canteen to get an apple, Max loaded a gun with non-lethal ammo, or pellets as they were known to many Dauntless. Janet stood by one of the walls and was balancing the apple on her head. Max lined himself up so he had a straight shot  
"Sorry in advance if this goes wrong" said Max  
He aimed and pulled the trigger. There was a bang and an apple had a hole through it. All the observers applauded. Janet took the apple off her head and looked at the bullet hole, then applauded as well. The group walked back to Reggie's. They spent the rest of the night doing dares, and everyone was drunk and exhausted when they decided to call it a night.

 **A/N: And done! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you to the group of friends who submitted dares to me, sorry I couldn't use all of them. Anyway, please remember to review, and as always**

 **Keep on Reading**

 **-ToAC**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Day 2**

 **A/N: Welcome back to Initiation. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please remember to review and all that. And as always,**

 **Keep on Reading**

 **-ToAC**

The following morning, Max and Janet woke up in Max's bed together. This happened a lot after Reggie's parties. They had never done 'it' but Janet always slept over, due to Max's apartment being closer than Janet's. The pair smiled, still slightly groggy.  
"Morning." greeted Janet  
"Morning" Replied Max, smiling  
The pair got up and readied themselves for the day, before heading to the canteen, then the training room. There were already a few initiates there chatting. The two instructors were pleased to see May and Finn, chatting and laughing with the Erudite transfers, as well as a couple Candors. They had seemed, while chatty with the other initiates, a bit separate from the rest. It was about 10 minutes before all the initiates had arrived and Max and Janet made a start. The schedule for the day read:  
Thea VS Finn  
Lyla VS Martyn  
Laina VS Ollie  
May VS Clarisse  
Gabriel VS Ryan

The two instructors called the first fight. Thea and Finn stepped up, and after circling, Thea was the first to attack. She was able to get Finn into a headlock, and the two span. Finn was able to knock Thea down, but Thea took him down with her. Thea was able to stop some of the force of the fall, but Finn hit the ground like a sack of rocks. He was still conscious, but wheezed  
"I concede" exclaimed Finn, slightly winded. Thea helped Finn up and off the mat, then Janet called the next fight. Lyla and Martyn walked up to the mat and began to circle. Lyla lunged at Martyn, but Martyn was able to swipe her feet from under her. In response, Lyla thrust her leg upwards, hitting Martyn in the stomach. Martyn stumbled backwards, but was able to regain his balance. Martyn rugby tackled Lyla. Her head hit the mat hard and she fell unconscious. Grabbing the stretcher from the edge of the training room, Max got Thea and Martyn to take Lyla to the infirmary. After they had left, the instructors called time for lunch. Max headed to the canteen, but noticed Janet decided to stay behind. After lunch, the day continued, with Ollie winning against Laina, Clarisse winning against May, and Gabriel beating Ryan.

Later that day, the 6 17 year olds were talking in the pit. Suddenly, Max noticed Janet swaying slightly  
"Are you OK, Janet?" Asked Max  
"What? Oh, yeah. A bit light headed, that's all." Answered Janet  
"Do you want to go home?" Asked Max  
"Alright" Replied Janet. The pair said goodbye to their friends, and walked back to Janet's apartment. Janet was staggering and Max supported her by putting her arm over his shoulders. When they got to Janet's apartment, Janet sat down on the sofa, and Max went to get her a drink of water. There was a thump, and Max turned around to see Janet slumped on the sofa. He quickly called the infirmary and soon there were more medics, and they took the comatose woman to the infirmary's emergency ward.

It was 2 days until Janet regained consciousness. When she did, Max was snoozing in the chair next to her bed. Her stirring woke him up from his snooze  
"Hey" She greeted, smiling slightly  
"Hi" he replied, wiping the sleep from his eyes  
"Are you alright?" Asked Janet  
"Yeah. You?" Replied Max  
Janet nodded  
"Why am I here?" Queried Janet  
"You have hypoglycemia." Answered Max  
"What?" Answered Janet  
"Basically, you missing lunch yesterday meant you didn't have enough sugar in your system, and your body couldn't cope." Replied Max  
"But it hasn't affected me before" stated Janet  
"Have you ever missed a meal before?" Asked Max, becoming more doctor like  
"Well, no..." Replied Janet  
"There we go then." Replied Max "Yoy've just got to keep your blood sugar high enough to stop the faints"  
Janet nodded.  
"How long have I been out?" Asked Janet  
"Two days" said Max  
"Two days?!" Exclaimed Janet "What about the fights?"  
"I've been coping" Answered Max. He got out a small notebook, and opened it. He handed it to Janet and she read the results;  
Day 3  
Ollie L Clarisse W  
May L Gabriel W  
Ryan W Finn L  
Thea L Martyn W  
Laina W Lyla L

Day 4  
May L Ryan W  
Finn W Laina L  
Clarisse L Martyn W  
Lyla L Thea W  
Gabriel L Ollie W

"That's interesting" said Janet  
Max smiled  
"Who knows what the result will be at the end of the fights?"Added Max "Anyway, I have something I need to ask you"  
"What is it?" Asked Janet. Max took her hand  
"Janet, I was waiting for the perfect moment to ask this, but the last two days made me realise that if I tried to wait for the perfect moment, I would wait too long." At this, Max fetched a box out of his pocket  
"Janet Gabriella Saleson, will you marry me?" Asked Max  
This shocked Janet and there was silence between the two

 **A/N: And I'll leave it there. I know, a bit of a cliff hanger, but I think that's good. Anyway, please remember to review, and I'll see you in the next chapter. And, as always  
Keep on Reading  
-ToAC**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: What Happened Next**

 **A/N: Hello and welcome to chapter 5 of Habitation. Last chapter, we ended with Max asking Janet a very important question. Hope you enjoy this and please remember to review. And, as always,  
Keep on Reading  
-ToAC**

The pair stayed in silence for a couple minutes. It was Janet who broke the silence  
"Marry?" Asked Janet  
"Yes…" Answered Max "Will you marry me?"  
"Oh, Max. This is a shock." said Janet  
"So, what do you say?" Asked Max  
"Yes, OK, yes." Replied Janet, grinning "I WILL marry you"  
Max grinned back  
"I love you" declared Max  
"I love you too" Replied Janet  
"Anyway, I should let you rest" Stated Max. He got up and kissed Janet on the forehead, before leaving. He met up with the rest of his friends in the main area of the pit. The other four noticed his happy expression  
"I'm guessing Janet's woken up" Commented Reggie  
"Yep" Answered Max, which made all the others smile in relief.  
"Will we be able to see her soon?" Asked Tanya  
"Yep. She's getting discharged in an hour, so she'll probably be there for dinner" Said Max  
At this point, the tannoy system made an announcement  
"All initiates and activity supervisors, report to the train stop for war games" Came the announcement.  
Max said a quick goodbye to the other 4 then headed to the train stop. He was surprised to meet Lara, the Dauntless-born instructor, at the train.  
"What are you doing here, Lara?" Asked Max  
"All of the leaders are busy with the council, and Janet's in the infirmary." Replied Lara "So I am helping to supervise"  
Max nodded.

As the train neared the fairground, which was the site of the war games, Max and Lara explained the game  
"To any person who knows, this game is essentially Capture the Flag." said Lara  
"To those who don't" explained Max "There are two teams. Both have a flag and it's the first team to get the other team's flag."  
All the initiates nodded  
"Now, Lara and I are captains. Lara, you go first." said Max  
Lara chose one of the Dauntless-borns, then it was Max's turn.  
"May" Chose Max  
This shocked May, as well as some of the other initiates. Lara just smiled, admiring Max's tactic

After the teams had been chosen, the guns were handed out and Max's team was the first to jump. On Max's team was May, Finn, Ollie, Laina, Clarisse, Thea, and Ryan, as well as four Dauntless-borns. This left Lara with eight Dauntless-borns, as well as Gabriel, Martyn, and Lyla. Max's team formed a huddle.  
"So, what's the plan?" Asked Max  
"I say go full out, storm them and show them what we're made of" said one of the Dauntless-borns  
"You're serious?" Asked Clarisse "That is a stupid idea"  
"Alright, nerd, what's your idea?" Asked the Dauntless-born  
The two argued, until Max shouted  
"Alright! Shut it, both of you!" Bellowed Max "Does anyone have a better suggestion than just getting us shot at?"  
"We could set up a defence for the flag, then send a team to find their flag, then decide how we're going to attack." Suggested Laina  
"Good plan" said Max, remembering his first game of capture the flag, the year before. The team was sorted into offence and defence, with both transfers and dauntless-borns in both groups. Max himself was in the offence group. The group looked around for the other team, and it was Ollie who spotted the glow of the flag. The offence team sneaked towards the site of the flag and waited as a member of the other team walked directly past them. After the person had passed them, the team continued to the flag. Just as they got close to the flag, the team was ambushed. Lara's team came at Max's team from all sides. There was a few moments of intense gunfire. Max and a few of the initiates were able to get to cover. They shot at the enemy team. Max noticed Ollie sidle along the box they were using for cover, towards the flag  
"Give Ollie some cover" Ordered Max to one of the Dauntless-borns who was crouching next to him. The Dauntless-born followed the order, getting a few others to do the same. Ollie made it to the flag and grabbed it.  
"We've won!" Declared Ollie, only to duck in an attempt to dodge a member of Lara's team firing at him.  
"He's telling the truth" Shouted Lara and Max simultaneously  
"Hold your fire!" Instructed Lara. Every initiate stood down.

There were cheers throughout the congregation as the initiates headed back towards the pit. All the dauntless-borns started to head towards the tower for the zipline. Max went to head the other way, with the transfer initiates  
"Aren't you coming, Max?" Asked Lara  
"No thanks. I better go and check on Janet." Responded Max "Plus, it didn't exactly go well the last time."  
"Alright, I understand. I was there last year, so I heard the rumours. I'll get a few others to help supervise"  
Max thanked Lara, then ran to the pit. Checking in at the infirmary, the head nurse told him that Janet had checked out half an hour ago. Max headed to Janet's apartment and knocked on the door. There was a moment of silence, then Janet opened the door. Max quickly pulled her into a crushing hug  
"Max, dear, we have guests." Remarked Janet. Letting go, Max noticed Percy, Tanya, Reggie, and Jo sitting on the sofa  
"Janet invited us over. She said you two had important news" Explained Tanya  
"We do?" asked Max. It took him a moment before he realised what the news was  
"Oh, THAT news!" Remarked Max "Shall you say it or shall I?"  
"I'm going to. I just thought you should be here for the reveal" Answered Janet  
"Well, go on." responded Max  
"I will" said Janet, before turning to the other four "You four have been mine and Max's friends since early in Dauntless, and we thought you should be the first to know"  
"You're moving in with each other?" Guessed Tanya  
"You're having a baby?" Guessed Jo  
"You're moving in with each other AND having a baby?" Guessed Percy and Reggie simultaneously. The guesses made the two laugh  
"Neither of those are the news, but both of them could be an effect of the news" said Janet  
Tanya was the first to realise, and the realisation was clear in her expression  
"You're being serious?" Said Tanya. Max and Janet nodded  
"We're engaged to be married." Revealed Janet "Max asked me earlier, when I was on a hospital bed."  
"Sorry, not very romantic, I know" Responded Max. However, this may have been lost due to the loud, high pitched squeal emanating from both Tanya and Jo. Both embraced Janet in a crushing hug, while Reggie and Percy shook Max's hand, congratulating him and his new fiancé. After the initial excitement had died down, the group moved back to the sofa. Janet showed off the ring. The six chatted for a while, laughing and joking. Percy retold a story of a time, a couple of months prior, when the Erudite pair and the Candor pair were going to go on a double date, but Max was held up at the infirmary. Instead of just calling the whole thing off, Janet reorganised the double date aspect, and then spent the entire evening with Max, helping where she could.

The group continued to talk for a long duration of time. However, they all eventually leaved, after Janet said that she and her new fiance needed to sleep for training tomorrow. After a final congratulations, their friends exitted. Max went to leave, but Janet stopped him  
"Stay the night, please." Requested Janet  
"Sure" Answered Max

 **A/N: And done! I hope you enjoyed this, and I'm sorry for the long time between uploading the last chapter and this one. Please remember to review, and as always  
Keep on Reading  
-ToAC**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **A/N: Sorry for the rather long hiatus… I kind of lost the track of what I wanted to do. But I'm back now! I've been mainly working on my Fictionpress stuff (Details on my profile).  
Keep on Reading  
-ToAC**

The following morning, as often was the case, Max woke up with a face full of hair. Of course, he didn't find this unpleasant, considering whose hair it was. He rolled slightly away from Janet and got up, trying not to disturb the brunette. Max headed into the shower. As he came out, Janet was sitting up stretching.  
"We need to get down to the training room." Max's voice had no real urgency and was more a reminder than an order.  
"OK, fiancé." Janet's response was delivered with a smile. The pair got ready for the day then began to make their way to the training room.  
"You know, five years ago, I would never have dreamed what life would be like now." The statement from Max made Janet look at him with a confused expression  
"What parts?" Janet asked for clarification.  
"Oh, transferring, Being Dauntless, marrying you." Max listed off the unbelievable things, the happiness in his voice growing with each item. Janet smiled in response. It was at this point that the two reached the training room. Ollie and Laina already stood inside the training room.  
"You're up early." The remark came from Janet.  
"Everyone's up. There's a problem." The response came from Laina, who looked very worried.

Max and Janet hurriedly followed Ollie and Laina to the initiate quarters. Sitting with a black eye on his bed was Gabriel; on another bed sat Thea being comforted by other initiates. As soon as Max and Janet entered, Thea stood.  
"Are you alright, Thea?" The query came from Max. Meanwhile, Janet stepped towards Gabriel.  
"You understand this is a very serious crime;" Janet stated to Gabriel, who looked angry, though at what was undetermined. "It can be punished by expulsion."  
"Yeah, right, as if you can find me guilty," Gabriel remarked cockily. "You have no evidence."  
"I think eyewitness accounts by multiple individuals would be enough." Janet's tone had turned cold yet angry. "You sexually assaulted another initiate, Gabriel. You assaulted another initiate, in front of all the other transfers."  
"She was asking for it." Gabriel snarled at Janet as well as the other initiates watching.  
"OK, you were asking for this. Gabriel, I'm taking you to the leaders; Thea, Laina, Ollie, come with me as witnesses; everyone else, go to the training room with Max." Janet ordered in the same cold, angry tone. Each of the initiates, other than the four filed out. Before Max left, he worriedly glanced at his fellow instructor and fiancé: he had never seen Janet this angry. Janet attempted to non-verbally communicate that it was all going to be fine. Sort of getting the message, Max left the quarters. Meanwhile, Janet led the four initiated accompanying her into the pit with the hope of finding a leader. They were in luck, as Lewis was standing there talking to the head of intelligence.  
"Lewis, sir," Janet greeted the leader, who turned to the instructor and four initiates. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but we have a serious matter."  
"How serious are we talking?" Lewis asked, brows furrowed; protocol essentially stated that leaders only had to be brought in if it was a matter of law-breaking.  
"Gabriel here," Janet pulled Gabriel forward "has been accused of sexual assault on Thea."  
At her name, Thea stepped forward.  
"I had just come out of the shower, when Gabriel stole my towel and started, well, groping me…" Thea recalled, slightly timidly.  
"There's no reason to feel nervous, Thea. You aren't in the wrong. You chose Dauntless, so you can be brave. Was it you who gave Gabriel that black eye?" Lewis' response sounded empathetic. Thea nodded in response.  
"See, she assaulted me too!" Gabriel remarked, trying to sound hurt.  
"Self-defence is not assault;" Lewis stated simply. He turned to Ollie and Laina. "I'm guessing you two are witnesses."  
The two initiates nodded.  
"Thank you for bringing this matter to my attention, Janet." Lewis had gone into 'leader mode': his voice was impartial and authoritative. "Initiates, come with me to my office. Janet, you can go back to training your other transfers."  
The entire group did as they were told. When Janet entered the training room, all eyes turned to him.  
"What's happened?" The question was asked by numerous initiates and Max simultaneously.  
"Lewis is dealing with it." Janet's response put mostly everyone at rest. Janet looked at the fights for the day. Gabrielle had originally been planned to fight against Laina, but Max had stricken this fight off the board. Therefore, the fights read:  
 _Clarisse VS Finn  
Lyla VS May  
Martyn VS Ryan  
Ollie VS Thea  
_Clarisse, Finn, Lyla, and May had already had their fights, so Martyn and Ryan stepped up to the mat. The circled then began to fight.

It was about a quarter of an hour before Ollie, Laina, and Thea returned.  
"Lewis says he wants to see both of you after you've finished here," Ollie told Max and Janet "he wants your opinions on what to do."  
The two instructors nodded and thanked Ollie for relaying the message. After checking that Thea was alright to fight (to which she said she was), it was Ollie's and Thea's turn to fight. The two initiates stepped onto the mat and began to fight.

After the fights, as they walked to Lewis' office, Janet filled in the book with the fight results. They decided to give Laina a point for her defence of Thea, as well as the fact that she was the lowest scoring initiate; Clarisse beat Finn, Lyla beat May, Ryan beat Martyn, and Thea beat Ollie. When they reached Lewis' office, Max knocked lightly on the door. They were told to come in and did so. Lewis was sat at his desk, and Gabriel was nowhere to be seen.  
"You wanted to see us, sir?" It was Janet addressing Lewis.  
"Yes. I was wondering if you could give me some light into how Gabriel has behaved since he transferred." The statement from Lewis matched what Ollie had told the two instructors.  
"He's been quite… cocky." Max stated, originally planning on using a more offensive word, but rethinking at the last moment.  
"He was rather sexist towards me, and the female initiates." Janet's statement gave extra detail and made Lewis frown.  
"Right, so he's been a disturbance since the beginning." Lewis placed his hand on his chin, engaged in the conversation. Both Max and Janet nodded.  
"Thank you both. My mind was already mostly made up about what to do, but your report has further solidified my opinion." Lewis stated. "Gabriel has had his last night in Dauntless."  
"You're expelling him?" The request for clarification came from both trainers simultaneously.  
"Yes. He'll be removed from the Pit as soon as tonight. Tell Thea that it is all sorted." Lewis remarked, a tinge of pride.  
"She was really brave to do what she did," Janet commented.  
"We're Dauntless. We're meant to be brave." Retorted Lewis "However, I do agree."

After they were finished with Lewis, Janet and Max headed to the Pit. They met up with Percy and Tanya in the Pit. Tanya was on a short break, having to work until the tattoo parlour closed at 10pm, while Percy had clocked off work for the day. The two ex-Candors noticed the ex-Erudite's drained expressions.  
"What's happened?" Tanya queried, concerned about her friends.  
"One of our initiates has been made factionless. " Max summarised, which seemed to satisfy the two ex-Candors' curiosity. The four continued their quiet chatter, with Reggie and Jo eventually joining. It was about an hour later when there was a large 'BOOM!', then sirens  
"All medics to the trains, all medics to the trains." The voice of the head doctor commanded over the pit's speaker system. Exchanging a worried look with his friends, Max began to head towards the train stop. Janet caught his hand before he could get out of reach.  
"Be careful. Stay safe." Janet essentially ordered, worry clear in her eyes. Max quickly drew Janet in and pecked her on the lips.  
"I'll be back before you know it." Max promised, placing his free hand on Janet's cheek. She nodded then let go of her fiancé. Max quickly turned and sprinted to the train stop.  
"Max!" A voice shouted from the doorway. Standing there was Luke, a fellow medic and Dauntless-born from Max's initiation year. He threw a bag to Max, which Max recognised as the basic emergency response kit. When the pair got on the train, each were handed a gun by a Dauntless just on the inside. The head medic, known as Porter stood in the centre of the carriage. Porter was a young woman, about 10 years older than Max and Luke, with black hair, now flecked with grey. She always wore a fierce expression, and her numerous tattoos stood out starkly against her pale skin. Most were covered by her jacket at the moment, though.  
"Now, we're unsure what exactly caused the blast, but guns are a precaution" Porter began to brief the carriage full of medics.  
 _It showed the popularity of the job_ thought Max _They could fit all the medics in a single train carriage  
_ "Keep your wits about you. We're there to help the wounded and potentially neutralise any hostiles." Porter finished her briefing. There was the unmistakable sound of the train horn, and the medics next to the doors opened the door. The train was running alongside a street, and Max could see the smoke of their destination spiralling into the sky. Each of the medics, including Luke and Max jumped out of the train, and ran to the site of the blast. According to Porter, doctors and medics from Erudite were also on their way. When Max saw the blast site, he immediately mentally assessed the situation. A building had completely collapsed, and there were shards of glass, metal, and brick all across the street.  
"Let's go, people!" The order came from Porter. All the medics ran to the scene and began calling out for any survivors. There were various weak shouts, and medics responded to each shout. Max tried to find a shout that wasn't responded to, but couldn't hear any. What he did notice was a hooded figure across the world. The figure looked factionless, dressed in both black and grey. From their clothes, the figure drew a silver object.  
"GUN, GET DOWN!" Max shouted to warn the other medics. Some of the medics dropped, while others drew their guns and aimed at the hooded figure.  
"You may kill me, but we are many." The factionless man laughed maniacally, before aiming and firing. The bullet hit Max in the shoulder, and Max fell from the force. Another medic immediately shot the factionless man who collapsed and crumpled. When he fell, Max hit his head and was knocked out.

Max was quickly taken into the infirmary, and the bullet was taken out of his shoulder. The wound was stitched up and he was put in a bed. When he came round, Janet was sitting by his bedside.  
"We seriously need to stop ending up in hospital." Was the first thing Max said. The statement made Janet chuckle.  
"Well, the nurse says you're free to go when you come round, but to keep activity using your right hand to a minimum." Janet informed Max.  
"Well, I'm left handed so that's not too bad." Max's response was delivered as positively as Max could manage with a dry throat.  
"Wait, do you need some water?" Janet's eyes widened slightly with realisation. Max nodded, and Janet handed him a glass of water. Max took it gratefully. He eventually got out of the bed, his arm twinging as he did so, and walked with Janet back to essentially their apartment. It was still early in the evening, so the two stayed in. At about half past 9pm, the pair received a call from Percy and Tanya. It was Max  
"Max, can you get here as soon as possible?" It was Percy's voice, and he sounded worried. "I think there's something wrong with Tanya."  
"Sure, I'll be right there. What are the symptoms?" Max queried as he grabbed his keys. Putting his hand over the phone for a second, Max quickly repeated what Percy had said. Janet nodded.  
"Don't get shot in the shoulder." Janet joked. Max gave her a look as if to say ' _Seriously?'_ before exitingto the ex-Candors' apartment. He already had an idea, going from the symptoms: Tanya was experiencing backache, cramping, and nausea. When he got to the apartment, he knocked on the door. Percy answered the door, and let Max in. Tanya was sitting on the couch, rubbing her back.  
"Hey, Max." Tanya greeted the medic thankfully.  
"Hi, Tanya;" Max responded, trying to sound positive. "Now, Percy's ran through your symptoms, and I think I have a pretty good idea of what's happening, but I need to know one thing: have you been feeling overtired lately, even if you get a good amount of sleep?"  
Tanya nodded in response.  
"I just thought it was work stress getting me down." Tanya confessed. The confession made Max unintentionally smile  
"Have your tastes in food changed recently? Like finding things you used to like not so tasty." Max asked, just to further cement his theory; once again, Tanya nodded.  
"Tanya, I can't say that it's definitely true, but I recommend you take a pregnancy test." Max remarked.  
"You're kidding?" The response came from Percy. Max shook his head. Both of the Candors' were wide-eyed. They looked at each other and began to smile brightly. Percy, after kissing his expectant fiancé, ran to Max and gave the medic a hug and pat on the back. Unfortunately, Percy hit the wound, causing Max to wince, but the medic was able to keep the other boy from noticing.  
"Thank you for the fantastic news." Tanya remarked, standing despite her back pain. She also hugged the redhead medic, though her hug was less boisterous. Max decided to leave the couple to celebrate the news, and walked back to his own apartment. Janet sat on the couch when he arrived.  
"You'll never guess the news." Max remarked when he sat next to his fiancé. Janet looked at him and shrugged. When Max told her the news, Janet's face lit up.  
"Tanya will probably want to tell you, so you'll have to act surprised." Max's tone was joking and showed he was as happy for the ex-Candor couple as Janet was. After Janet had calmed slightly, the two ex-Erudites settled in for the night, and rested for whatever the next day would bring.

 **A/N: Please remember to R and R. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.  
Keep on Reading  
-ToAC**


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